Bread Hydration Calculator
Calculate bread dough hydration percentage and baker's percentage from flour and water weights.
Hydration & Baker's Percentage
Bread hydration is the ratio of water to flour in a dough, expressed as a percentage.
Formula:
Hydration % = (Water Weight / Flour Weight) × 100
Common hydration levels:
- 50–57% — Bagels, pretzels (very stiff dough)
- 58–65% — Sandwich bread, rolls (standard dough)
- 65–75% — French bread, ciabatta (soft, open crumb)
- 75–85% — Focaccia, high-hydration sourdough (sticky, large holes)
- 85–100% — Extreme hydration loaves (very advanced technique)
Baker’s percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of total flour weight. Flour is always 100%.
Tips:
- Higher hydration = more open crumb, but harder to handle
- Whole wheat flours absorb more water — increase hydration by 5–10%
- Weigh ingredients in grams for accuracy; volume measurements are unreliable for baking